XI'AN: The Shaanxi forestry department, which claimed to have sighted a South China tiger in the wild in October, has apologized for publicizing the photographs that netizens and scientists said were fakes.

The department issued a letter of apology to the public last night, for "curtly publicizing the discovery of the wild South China tiger" and "causing a national controversy".

It said the move "reflects blunder and lax discipline". But it stopped short of commenting on the authenticity of the photographs.